Sunday, February 24, 2013

Week 73 (February 24th, 2013)

LECHEROUS NOCTURNE
Behold Almighty Doctrine
Unique Leader Records

The
latest full-length album from Lecherous Nocturne isn't necessarily a
long effort, but it causes quite a bit of chaos with an erratic and
extreme edge that's sure to warrant many plays. The band thrashes,
blasts and bludgeons through these tracks as if they had to record them
all in time for dinner. But they didn't just throw these together
either; rather the songs are so well structured with a sense of obscure
technicality that I would liken the disc to something of a metal tornado
of sound that comes through and leaves nothing but devastation in it's
path. The riffs are frantic, the vocals are full of piss and vinegar
with a definite core influence; and the whole package comes out sounding
like something from CATTLE DECAPITATION, JOB FOR A COWBOY, OBSCURA,
DECAPITATED, PIG DESTROYER and perhaps even LAMB OF GOD if they had been
just a bit faster and gave a shit less about slow southern groove. The
doctrine expressed here is certainly one of fury, it's a Bible of
brutality through and through. If you're looking for a disc that you can
literally file under the word "extreme" in the dictionary, this will be
that "take no prisoners, shoot them all in the fucking head" album that
you'd be sure to find listed. Definitely not one to pass up, if you're
looking for the heaviest of the heavy. I think the piano interlude is
only here to prevent aneurisms or spontaneous human combustion. (Eric
May)

8/10

Fiends At Feast - Towards The Baphomet's Throne (PR2013)
- Fiends At Feast are a Californian black metal five piece that also
bleeds into death metal. This is their debut release, following an
earlier EP. The disc sees the band doing everything right, from the ice
fueled melodies, fiery bass lines, and venom soaked vocals. But not only
that, these guys do enjoy the solo and don't mind employing it. The
structure of the songs are also well conceived, making songs like "With
Blood And Vomit 4:53" and the more eerie prog of "Walls Of Worship 6:33"
come across beautifully. Well, as beautifully as one can for Satanic
black metal. I really don't feel that there's one single track on this
album that is a dud, and am certainly hearing influences from Dissection
and Gorgoroth here; which always amounts to some greatness. Truly, this
is a black metal album in the fullest regards; it literally bleeds with
the blood and spirit of the genre. I'm truly afraid that these
gentlemen will go unnoticed and by all means, they shouldn't. After
reading one 90% review and one 60% review from other well-known music
blogs (that don't have a picture of Megaman X as their current
background) I would certainly agree more with the 90% and I feel that
the 60% reviewer wasn't really listening to the album, merely just
skimming it. Sure, there will be better bands with higher sound quality
and maybe some avant-garde Sigh or Blutmond weirdness, but as far as
really capturing the spirit of black metal; these gentlemen really seem
to do it for me. Even the Spanish language "Profecia Negra 5:01" comes
of without a hitch, making frontman Loki a heavy hitter in terms of
vocal prowess.

But what's more, is that there are surprises on
this album. There are slight influences from bands you might not expect
and slight transitions into territory that you also wouldn't expect for
this kind of music. But it is 2013 now and I fully agree that these
slight differentiations makeup the core of what this era of black metal
should sound like. After all, I feel thankful to personally be able to
hear these evolutions become more apparent in black metal as we head
toward something that seems to be as a big of a step as Venom in the
80's to Emperor in the 90's. Fiends At Feast show that black metal is
indeed changing, but they also show that with the more things change;
the more they remain the same.

At any rate, I would definitely
consider this album worth checking out for the whole of black metal
hordes. Could have done without the intro and interludes though.

Highlights:
After The Gates Of Hell, With Blood And Vomit, I Am Death, Walls Of
Worship, From Hell They Rise, Hedonistic Heresy, Profecia Negra, Cold
Grey Sky (10 Tacks, 40:00)

9/10

Mors Principium Est - And Death Said Live (PR2013)
- Five years after about a million lineup changes, Mors is back with a
new disc that continues their At The Gates/Dark Tranquility influenced
melodeath and combines it with core and a vocal approach that reminds me
of a Ihsahn had he been influenced by metalcore. Now that statement
might automatically be enough to tell people "fuck it, I won't even
download it" but you probably already grabbed this from Rockbox or Get
Metal and jammed it long before checking out this review in the first
place.

The best way to describe the album is in all actuality a
core approach to melodic black metal with symphonic influence and some
great solo portions. It's definitely catchy, especially opener
"Departure 5:44" (disregard the intro, it was a waste of space) which
centers around the chorus. However, "I Will Return 4:29" comes along a
little more like current Naglfar or final era Dissection (there's an
unexpected influence) mixed with At The Gates style that fucking works
for me. As I skim again through most of the tracks, I'm noticing much of
the same thing about the album - it's pretty straightforward. The songs
are all catchy and they all feature some interesting utilizations, but
you won't necessarily hear any new ground being broken.

Being
that the new Hypocrisy is coming out soon and from the single, seems to
offer the same melodeath with catchy choruses (which I personally
fucking like and would love to jump in a band to do round-about the same
idea with the strong choruses - I've written dozens of lyrics around
that structure, "Shackled and Chained" for instance) you aren't going to
get anything surprisingly new. It sounds like Hypocrisy, it sounds like
Zonaria, it sounds like X band that plays fast melodic death and
incorporates repetitive choruses. Yet again, they're all done well here
and the music backs it all up well. The fact that the band has
incorporated these slight black metal influences certainly appeals to
me, I'm definitely hearing the grim tones of (yes, Naglfar) in this wild
mix of new musicians.

Nevertheless, And Death Said Live... is
definitely a killer release that hits hard with everything that it does
do and even if we have heard it before, it's not broken and I'm not
going to fix it. As I said, I'd jump at a minute's notice to do material
of this same accord, just because I fucking love it so much and
consider it an inspiration. Five years may have passed, but this album
was worth the wait. There are two deathcore guests (Bring Me The
Horizon, Black Dahlia Murder) on this album, but I can't really hear
them and am not too worried, so I don't care. I personally think the
band's new frontman can hold his own without them and is definitely one
of my favorite frontmen in metal music right now.

I jammed the
shit out of this one. My opinion is what this blog is about, and I
fucking loved this disc. Definitely one of my personal picks for best of
the year, if you love catchy melo-death with a dark edge and fantastic
guitar work, pick this fucker up. Of course, I'd love to be doing what
they did here (just without the touring part.)

Highlights: All (11 Tracks, 46:00)

10/10

Manilla Road - Mysterium (PR2013)
- Manilla Road need no introduction, they've been around for as long as
many of their peers like Manowar and Candlemass, no doubt. I was
actually surprised to see that they were working on a new album, (But
guess who also is coming out with a new one this year? Satan. Yeah, I
can't believe it either.) and though the production is lacking, I feel
that some fans will feel right at home with it. I don't feel that opener
"The Grey God Passes 4:12" isn't very strong at all, and I don't think
the vocal approach works well with it - just seems a little off for some
reason that I can't place. The track that follows, "Stand Your Ground
3:02" didn't do much for me either, despite the fact that it certainly
thrashes more. And yes, the third track "The Battle Of Bonechester
Bridge 4:36" despite it being musically strong, left me with a muffled
vocal.

However, "Hermitage 6:11" certainly comes across well and
I was quite surprised by it's Iron Maiden meets Candlemass flair.
Though the vocal work is still not as powerful as it should be, the
guitars certainly make up for it. "Do What Thou Wilt 4:16" follows with a
definite doom approach and I certainly like what the song stands for
and stand behind it; but again I feel that the vocals are muffled and
should be at least raised a bit in the mix. I can't hear this guy very
well and I'd like to. I like "Only The Brave 3:43" also, it's got a
slight kick that goes into a melodic chorus which takes over most of the
song. There's also a wonderful solo, but I believe I can say that about
all of the songs, even the ones that I didn't particularly care for had
awesome playing. But again, the guitars are heard perfectly, while the
vocalist sounds like he's somewhere in the background fog.

I'm
going to say the same thing with the next song "Hallowed Be Thy Grave
4:45." The bass riffs thunder and the leads are heard perfectly, but I
can barely hear the frontman. I understand that they were going for an
analog approach with the disc, but I've just come under the opinion that
those days of hard to hear instruments and vocals must have sucked. I'm
quite glad that remixing and mastering is now being used on many of
these old albums, I love what it did to those early Blind Guardian
tracks and hopefully more bands will take the time to polish up some of
their old classics. "The Fountain 4:35" follows next, and due to the
acoustics I can actually hear the vocals and they certainly work well
with the ballad. But some of you might not be looking to hear something
like this from Manilla Road.

The last two tracks to follow are
"The Calling 4:05" which is an atmospheric interlude that follows the
epic (over ten minutes) "Mysterium 11:39." With a song of this length,
you'd expect the band to have gone above and beyond the call of duty and
I can certainly say that they have. The song starts off light with a
few good vocal lines and a solo that takes off into the main thump of
the track. I can really hear the vocals on this one, but they don't
sound like the were recorded with the band. You can hear the vocalist
singing this in a separate studio while the music is playing. That
should've been mixed a little better, I don't know how this thing was
tracked, if the guitars and drums were recorded on the same track or if
they were separate, but I think the guitars and drums should have come
up just a little more to give the illusion of the track being performed
in the band. Being a man who puts his own vocals on instrumentals, I've
become something of an expert at this.

I think that Mysterium is
a strong album for sure, but it's plagued with mixing issues that I
noticed from the very beginning. The very minute I started playing the
disc, I said to myself "this isn't mixed right." But I won't tell you
that the bad mixing kills the album either. Mysterium has some truly
formidable tracks and the guitar work is unparalleled. The very song
itself is a wonderful closer and the effects help to bring that
atmosphere. I just don't like the sound guy, whoever that was. There's a
very high possibility than one of the band members did this themselves
and in that case, someone's probably cursing at me right now. But I have
to tell it like it is, straight from the horse's mouth.

Mysterium
is musically strong, but could have been so much better. A mix can
really make or break your efforts these days and this mix definitely
didn't help matters any. Yet, this is (for the most part) a bare-bones
analog recording with a full band that doesn't really happen anymore.
Perhaps I've grown so used to digital shit and pro-tools that I have
almost forgotten what it sounds like when an entire band is playing in
the same area together.

A sign of the times? Perhaps. But I
recommend that fans of the band and classic heavy metal check out this
new album from a certain old dog in the metal pack. There's no reason to
cast off a disc completely, due to a bad mix (references the final
...And Oceans album, Cypher and the latest Andromeda album.)

So yeah, there's still some magic in this one.

Highlights: Hermitage, Do What Thou Will, Only The Brave, The Calling, Mysterium (10 tracks, 51:00)

7/10

Supuration - Cube 3 (PR2013)
- First and foremost, if you're looking for something different in the
realms of death metal, go check out Supuration. These guys have been
around since 1989 and also developed a side project called S.U.P. that
dealt in prog. This album is the third part of their cube saga, called
Cube 3 and even though it seems to lack the originality of the second
part of the saga Incubation, the new release makes up for the title with
what lurks in the music itself. Progressive death metal assaults occur
here, with definite gravel vocals and a clean approach that reminds me
of Enslaved, just with death metal instead of black metal (but give them
time, seeing as they covered so much crap on Riitiir.) and the whole
thing comes off as refreshing and unique.

There. I said it.
Unique. These days, many bands try to be too unique and wind up sounding
just completely odd altogether (not that I don't mind that) but hearing
a group of guys that just make a subtle difference really comes off as
something of a musical gift to my ears. The first thing you'll notice
about Supuration is that the music isn't necessarily fast, even when the
drums blast. They also don't seem to be interested in bludgeoning, and
even if the drums are pounding in places like "The Delegation 5:32" you
will still hear a slight clean vocal interjection (The Disenthrall
2:20.)Yes, this is a different kind of death metal; so leave all of your
expectations at the door.

You might consider this odd, but I
feel as if I might have to listen to this album one more time, even
though I listened to it a few days prior during the listening process
that I give each and every album I review. There's just so much going on
within this music ("Consumate 6:09" for example) that I literally am
having a hard time breaking it down in to a consumable package for words
to convey. France has given us a lot of great musical exports, Gojira
being one of the most well known; but I must inform you lovers of sweeps
that these guys sound absolutely nothing like Gojira. This is certainly
progressive death metal of a unique flair (I wouldn't even liken them
to Opeth, in all honesty) that is not only interesting, but off-kilter
in many aspects and incredibly listenable. The words "Highly
Recommended" should certainly appear in 72" font, but I will instead
leave you with that observation instead of actually doing what would
come off as ridiculous.

One other thing that I need to explain
about this band, is that Supuration are death metal. The music is
certainly backed with all the grim and unwelcoming atmospheres that you
might expect, but it certainly seems like the soundtrack to a really
fucked up sci-fi film that I've never seen and certainly want to. There
are metal magazines and other blogs that will probably say "yeah, it's
okay" but I don't feel that some of these reviewers are literally
listening to the music, just skimming through and making way for what's
next on their plate, (mainly noting Decibel) so they can go home and
listen to the music that they want to listen to. I sometimes feel as if
some of these reviewers consider reviewing discs to be a chore. Like "Oh
man, they sent me more albums. I really wanted to listen to the band x
album" and my response to that, is to check out the promos first.
There's a big chance that you'll discover something in there that you
will like better than the "band x" album. Or the chance that band x's
new album is as good as you would've liked. That happens.

But as
far as Surpuration goes, I'm giving it a perfect ten and here is the
reason for that. It's different, it's original - not something you've
heard over and over again by bands with the same sounds and different
names. The execution on the album is perfect, it's death metal with a
progressive nature that sounds 100% different from any other band out
there doing progressive death metal. Most of them draw on Opeth. These
guys do not. They were out before Opeth, if you can believe it. The
melodies are catchy, intriguing and a bit odd which I find appealing;
and the vocals meld well enough to come across as anything that Enslaved
played clean and harsh with while still maintaining the death metal
origins of the band. If these guys don't get known for this record here
in the states, then I would consider myself completely incompetent in my
reviewing abilities and the genre of metal doomed.

This is what I wanted to hear in 2013. These guys brought it. Go check it out.

Highlights: Cube 3 (9 Tracks, 41:00)

10/10

The Omega Experiment - The Omega Experiment (PR2013)
- These Michigan proggers certainly have much in common with Devin
Townsend and you can certainly hear that in the riffs. They've got Devin
down perfectly and I've um... never heard that before. Devin Townsend
always did his own thing and these guys definitely have somehow emulated
that style. As for Devin, he has expressed his personal backing in the
project and now the band is finally on Listenable with a debut and plans
to tour for this release. If you check the band's facebook, you will
note that they are currently on tour right now. But that's enough about
these two guys, let's talk about the music.

The band definitely
uses the Devin Townsend Band (not project) formula here, definitely
making me think of albums like Synchestra and Accelerated Evolution for
starters. Of course there are plenty of other influences in the band
like Queensrcyhe as noted by the promo material. There certainly is a
sense of melodic majesty in this album, something of uplifting messages
backed by both men who also share and duet vocals. The fact that these
two line up so well together is quite amazing and makes the album worth
checking out. If you're a fan of truly great clean vocal work in metal,
then I'm not just telling you; I'm commanding you to check out this
album and am sure that you will absorb and wind up playing it quite a
few times or many more.

The track lengths vary quite a bit here,
with the second song "Stimulus 10:21" being a sort of epic and
rightfully so. There are the same complex atmospheres here that one
could expect from any great Devin Townsend piece; but also the slight
meanderings and extremities that separate it from progressive rock.
"Furor 7:16" drags this point across with it's electronic thrash nature
and use of harsh vocals. However, the song also incorporates moments of
harmony while still keeping the metal edge. "Bliss 2:02" will remind us
of the album's nature, a battle with drug abuse that continues into
"Karma" where the harsh vocals sound more like they came from Demon
Hunter than Devin Townsend and I have no idea what's going mid-way
through the song, thinking maybe these guys should stick to clean and
emphasize their heavy portions with music instead of vocals, making them
lose what core influence they might gain from that; unless they are
trying to appeal to that one dude that loves his prog and muscle music
too. (But seriously guys - I'm joking.)

I have no idea what the
band believes in, whether it's common reward/punishment religion or
metaphysics or what-have-you; but this album certainly seems to give me a
sort of religious (possibly pro-Christian) feel. I could really care
less, but some people might have a problem with that; which is quite
immature in the first place (after all, Jesus gave to us Extol,
Antestor, A Hill To Die Upon and several other killer bands) but people
are people.

At any rate, the disc is certainly worth like I've
already said; "checking out for those fans of truly great vocal work"
and I stand behind that and will amend the statement with "truly great
musicianship." Though they have similarities with Devin Townsend, these
guys definitely make the music their own and I would certainly like to
see what is next for The Omega Experiment. A debut to me is like an
offering:" Here's what we can do." A sophomore should expound upon that
and I hope that maybe in 2014 or 2015 the band will have an ability to
do that. You know, if we're still around by then.

Once more, I
recommend that fans of truly great clean vocal work and musicianship
give this prog metal two-piece a try. I think these guys will
reverberate in the heads of prog fans young and old. They learned from
the best in the business after all, so I don't see what could go wrong.

The Beyond - Frostbitepanzerfuck (PR2013)
- You may be familiar with my review of this band's old demo and it's
been so long since I did that, that I can't even remember what I gave
that disc. At any rate, this thing has been redone with some added
tracks and it's definitely much better than I would've expected. I guess
I'll have to warn most of you that this contains punk at it's most
vulgar and instead of growling or scowling the lyrics to most of these
lyrics, they are right in your fucking face. Listening to this at the
wrong time could get you into trouble, especially the opener "Roto-Cunt
3:10" and the G.G. Allin cover of "Cunt Sucking Cannibal 3:06" so be
careful where you listen to this shit. And yeah, this is the kind of
music that people will assume you've got serious mental issues if they
catch you listening to it; but it's all part of the fucking display. The
Beyond wants to be beyond all that shit quite frankly. "Goat Sodomizer
3:14" is a straight-up black metal track with punk influence that should
appeal to fans of the punk Darkthrone era (which ended this year with
The Underground Resistance and begins their 80's power? metal era) But
honest to fucking god, this shit just sounds so therapeutic in some
instances; like when you're walking the halls of the mall on break from
your shitty job in the stock room and on your way to get something to
eat from what's left of the fucking food court, you see all these people
walking around and it just makes you feel better that you don't
actually have to converse with any of them. You don't want to know them,
nor care to know them. You look at the women and are like, no fucking
way - she only wants to shit out kids and go to church and that shit. No
fucking way. Might as well call it the fucking walking dead. Never had a
problem with religion, just a problem with blind faith and most of the
people in my small little area of the world are just that - sheep that
are brought up a certain way and that's life.

But when you've
got "Frostbitepanzerfuck 5:13" blaring in your ears, it just makes you
feel better. The frontman just lets out the most infernal sense of "fuck
you" scream and backs it up with even more aggressive punk that makes
life more tolerable. Then there's a classic solo that you don't expect
either. That makes life even more tolerable. But what I really like
about this disc is that some of the tracks come of as pure punk and
others come off as black metal. It's a perfect mix of the two and it's
vulgar as fucking possible in most instances. I'd love to see these guys
live in all honesty, I bet they put on a fucking hell of a show.

Oh,
there it is. That's the one I was listening to while walking in the
mall. "The Splatterhouse Maniacs 3:36." this tracks is blast beats and
demonic scowls that just come off sounding fucking pleasant. And maybe
I'm a nutcase, but these guys probably are nuts too. Hell, did you know
that there are 27 invisible chemtrails in our air right now? Go look
that shit up. If I'm crazy, I'm blaming the fucking air. Oh yeah, "Necro
Overload 2:47." has some wonderful words in it also, that make me feel
calm. The final track "Exterminate Humanity 4:35" is much slower than
the others and it's got a darker vocal tone than the previous tracks. It
almost sounds a bit doom, but let me fucking tell you something - it
kills.

I've heard a lot of punk/metal mixes in years and haven't
cared for many of them. But these guys are the exception. I have no
idea how this album is being released, or whether they got signed or not
- they ought to be signed to a major just so that people could see
these guys on the American Idol stage and commit mass suicide. Does that
help regulate the population then? Sounds like it would.

Despite
my sick thoughts, I guarantee that the music is even sicker. So if
you're in the mood for something sick that doesn't give a fuck about
anyone or anything, (these guys make Anal Cunt style lyrics audible - I
always loved those, but the band never actually blared that shit in
front of your face as if they were scared of offending someone - it was
always just a bunch of inaudible grunts and gurgles and that pisses me
off to this day - someone needs to cover "She's Not Pregnant, She's Just
Fat") then try The Beyond. Sure, they don't have a fantastically fucked
up name like Anal Cunt or Jesus Anal Penetration, but they certainly
make some fucked up tunes with regards to musicianship. Yes, as in these
guys aren't just fucking around. You could see these guys in action and
they'd put on a strong performance.

They already made a strong one here. Check it out, if you think you can take it.

EDIT: The first comment on the band's stream of their album for http://www.thatshowkidsdie.com
says "I like my misogynistic lyrics to be incomprehensible." Grow the
fuck up and take a joke, you prick. I know this kills the whole psycho
ramble thing, but seriously - learn to take a joke. These guys don't
beat their wives when they get home and they don't sit at the table in
spikes and corpse paint. It's just fucking punk and black metal and it
does make you feel a bit better. Also try laughing.

Highlights: Every track contains the voice of God. Well worth checking out for all humans. (8 Tracks, 29:00)

10/10

Shakra - Powerplay (PR2013)
- Fans of Nocturnal Rites and current era Edguy should definitely check
out this new effort from Shakra. It's definitely just as catchy as
you'd expect those bands to be and it's got the same power/rock edge
that you'd also expect. Perhaps this really is nothing more than watered
down power metal without it's speed and virtuosic guitar (even though
there are some really great solos on this disc) semblances, but it's
really hard to deny the catchiness and re-playability of tracks like
"The Mask 4:44", "Higher 4:03", "Don't Keep Me Hanging 3:58" and my
personal favorite, "Dream Of Mankind 5:06." Make no mistake about it,
this is one album that I could sit and listen to for hours, especially
if I was still in my teen years where one song could be listened to on
repeat for hours and I never seemed to get tired of it. I've already
listened to this thing quite a few times and perhaps these songs are now
glued into that massive record collection I have in my brain, because
every now and then I'll hear them playing inside of my head. Good thing
the band doesn't charge for brainwave streams. At least, not yet.

If
you're looking for a really great rock album with the obvious
enhancement of classic elements, you'll definitely find it here. Though
these guys seem to just want to get on the charts, I definitely consider
their music fucking great and the messages powerful, (Dream Of Mankind,
The Mask) though at the same time I'm sure that people are using some
of these tracks for their fan-made anime music videos. It can't be
helped.

At any rate, check out these power/rockers and I'm sure
you'll find a couple of tracks if not many more that you will also find
"get stuck in your fucking head" as with me. It's much better than
Nickelback, in any case.

Helker - Somewhere In The Circle (PR2013)
- First of all, Argentina's Diego Valdez is one of the greatest vocal
gifts to power metal in years. This guy actually sounds a little like
Dio and it's hard to fucking believe, but I had the headphones on and
verified it. Whoa. Not only that, the guy can fucking sing and the band
can really fucking play. I've got faith that AFM will do em right and
they'll be able to go out there and really kick ass in Europe, where
they hope to tour. They've toured with the likes of Hammerfall,
Stratovarius, Gamma Ray and many more power metal kings, already and it
shouldn't be too long before these guys headline their own tour, with
the material presented here. Coming from a man who still gives a shit
about power metal, this disc came like a furious punch to my cranium,
delivering thrash, melody and plenty of old school grit accompanied by
solos that you should expect from this kind of album. A power metal
album - not that wannabe crap. This is the real deal.

The opener
"Modern Roman Circus 3:55" is where we get out first fix of what sounds
like Dio brought back to us, but I've almost no doubt that he's still
here in spirit watching over the greatness of metal (What? You think the
guy was really interested in the pearly gates when there's all this
great fucking metal to be made here?) and this album proves it. "Begging
For Forgiveness 4:13" features Time "Ripper!" Owens (ex-Priest, Iced
Earth) and Ralf Scheepers of Primal Fear on guest vocals, which make a
great song even greater.

It's solid power metal with fantastic
vocal work and everything else at top notch precision. Though there were
a few songs (Flying 3:58, Inside Of Me 4:04) that didn't hit quite as
hard, but everything else on the disc did; and that's certainly enough
to warrant it a go. I'm not sure what other power metal gems we'll get
this year, but Helker is certainly a damned good one. If you like
anthemic power metal with far-reaching choruses, you've found exactly
what you're looking for here. If you haven't heard these Argentinean
kings yet, you really fucking need to now. There's no excuse not to
check out power metal this fucking good. No excuse whatsoever.

Highlights:
Modern Roman Circus, Just Be Yourself, No Chance To Be Reborn, Begging
For Forgiveness, Wake Up, Still Alive, Ghosts From The Past
(11 Tracks, 46:00)

9/10

KEN mode - Entrench (PR2013)
- Here's a new album from a band that I've never been too crazy about,
and that's maybe because I just don't understand the whole post-hardcore
extreme movement. I guess I'm talking about shit like Converge, Gaza,
Dillinger (even though I like some of their songs) and others in this
vein. It just never appealed to me. So that's precisely the same reason
why I just don't much care for this one. I listened to the whole album
in it's entirety, but found very little on this disc that even remotely
interested me. I try to give every disc their fair shot, and I guess I
kind of like "No, I'm In Control 3:38" and the slower, more atmospheric
approach of "Romeo Must Never Know 7:32." But as for the rest of the
tracks, it's really just the same-old technical fortitude and djent,
djent, djent that I've heard before. Can't we just call these guys
Converge with more djent?

Also, I need to mention that the
album's closer "Monomyth 6:03" is complete garbage. Just being honest.
Yes, you'll look at that track length and think that it's some large
epic number; when all that it really is, is some light ambience track
that doesn't really hold a candle to the atmospheric work that Cult Of
Luna played around with on Vertikal. To tell you the truth, the band's
last album Venerable (2011) was far better; and this thing wasn't even
worth the wait. Let's just go ahead and forget that "Monomyth" even
exists and count the ten tracks as they are. With that, you'll get
around 42 minutes of music that all sounds roughly the same with some
minor exceptions in riff structure and melody. Though there is that
slower track "Romeo Must Never Know" and it actually sets itself apart
from the others, I still have about 35 minutes of fodder that's in the
way. Harsh, but at least I'm being honest. For fans of this stuff,
you'll probably love it and call me an idiot; but that's cool because
there's shit I like that I know some of you hate. This is just one genre
of metal that's always been kind of tough to get into for me and I'm
pretty damned sure that it will always be that way. Decibel gave this
one an 8, pretty much praising it to make the label happy; but I'm going
to give it just one number lower and consider it decent. It's not a bad
disc, I just couldn't really get into any of it.

It's like asking for coffee and getting a cup of liquefied licorice instead. Throw it back in the trenches!

Paradox - Tales Of The Weird (PR2013)
- Thrashers Paradox have put out a new album alright, but just because
it's called Tales Of The Weird doesn't mean that it actually has
anything to do with Weird Tales; a magazine where Robert E. Howard and
H.P. Lovecraft got their start. However, if you're in the mood for
melodic, power-laden thrash; this is probably just what you needed.
After a short intro, the disc rushes with blazing speed on title track
"Tales Of The Weird 9:19" which is a scorching and catchy power thrasher
with the kind of solo that you should already expect from this kind of
material. "Day Of Judgement 4:15" comes in next, thrashing even harder
than it's predecessor but I don't think that the vocals hold up very
well and I would pay more attention to the instruments.

"Brutalized
5:25" slows things down a bit, but then also goes into another thrash
session. It's catchy, but decent. "Fragile Alliance 6:24" is next, using
some weird effects and the sound of a crowd to boost it's thrash
nature. I think the vocals definitely work a little bit better here. The
frontman can't quite keep up with the speed, but on slower tracks he
shows his worth. However, the chorus is stiff.

"Escalation 4:15"
features the same by the numbers thrash, but sees the vocals at a much
stronger pace. Again, the chorus is stiff. "Brainwashed 7:33" is next
and I love this fucking intro. Then the intro seems to go into something
that I would consider to be a very dark and unique thrash... well, for a
few seconds anyway. I think these guys want to do more straightforward
thrash than try to innovate and that's all well and good - I just think
they should do a bit more. The vocals sound good here, the lyrics come
out well enough; but the chorus is also very stiff. However, the band
utilizes the extra time for an instrumental portion that really shows
off their skills. "Slashdead 4:53" comes in with a chugga chugga that I
certainly like, definitely has some Iced Earth influence. Believe it or
not, the vocals and chorus on this one are actually pretty strong and I
would consider it one of the disc's few highlights.

"Zeitgeist
1:53" is a short instrumental interlude that sticks with acoustic guitar
up until a certain point when drums and an electric are used in the
background. But the album's close come sin the form of "The Downward
Spiral 3:42" which starts out with a powerful intro... please don't
screw this one up.... hmmm, that's interesting. I really like the riffs
being used on this one - it's a bit different then what the band's given
us on the other tracks. It's a simplistic little riff, but it works.
It's the shortest song on the disc that isn't an instrumental, but it's a
definite standout and a good way to end the album...

Bonus Track

A
Light In The Black (Rainbow Cover) (Bonus Track 7:17) - Yeah, you read
that right. It's a 7:17 bonus track, in which the band experiments with a
shitload of different ideas and it excited me more than anything else
on this entire fucking album. But maybe that's because the band didn't
actually write it. Yes, it's a Rainbow cover (RIP Dio) and they
definitely seem to do a great job with it at any rate. It's not a
super-thrasher and it's done justice. Keyboards are first used on the
track, then the guitar completely tears it up (and I really mean, tears
it up) as the keyboards come back into the fold, sounding like chiptunes
as the chorus comes back and the song goes through a finale portion and
ends.

This one's worth buying. But I'm not sure about the album
as a whole. Paradox have the right idea and the musicianship is great,
but it's very hard for me to get into an album of this nature where I'm
not feeling the choruses or the vocals for the most part. The frontman's
best vocal performance appears to be on a cover song and that's not a
good thing. But if you still feel the need for power/thrash, check this
album out.

Highlights: Tales Of the Weird, Slashdead, The Downward Spiral, A Light In The Black (Bonus Track) (10 Tracks, 54:00)

6/10

Portal - Vexovoid (2013)
- I wasn't able to review Portal's 2009 album, Swarth because I hadn't
been doing reviews that early on. But I've got this 2013 release and
I've got to say that it's still Portal. The music still contains the ebb
and flow of dark Lovecraftian worlds and the frontman still wears a
fucking clock tower on his head, so this is still Portal as you know and love them. The disc
is surprisingly short, only clocking in at a mere 34 minutes; but
there's some really great ideas being utilized on this one, from the
eerie riffs backing the blasts and abrupt atmospheric changes of opener
"Kilter 5:46" to the Lovecraftian worship rite of "The Black Wards 4:16"
(at least, that's what it fucking sounds like) and on through to the
dense atmosphere of Plasm "5:46" where sound effects are well utilized;
and further still into the machine-gun drumming backed howls of "Awryeon
4:21", there's a lot to like here.

The band is more interested
in making death metal laden atmospheres, veritable "death metal in the
fog" so to speak; moreso than making the kind of atmospheres that you
would expect from the likes of black metal acts like Ash Borer or
atmospheric doom-death, like a trillion other atmospheric doom-death
bands. Yes, we could sanely call Portal an atmospheric death metal band
in the truest sense, even though there is a considerable amount of
common technicality on this album that some might shake their head on,
wondering where the oddities of riffs have gone from Swarth. Perhaps the
vacuum-laden sound of the last album has spoiled me, but hearing
everything so clearly doesn't give the true sense of this coming from
the beyond. I still think that De Magia Veterum has them beat as far as
sounding like they've come from another plane of existence though.

Of
course, that band always makes me sick to my stomach for some reason. I
guess the closer "Oblotten 5:16" says it all though, with it's
atmospheric riffs and little more. You may hear a tap of a cymbal there,
but I can assure you that it sounds more like a portal being ripped
open and then closed with a few slow plucks of an acoustic that reminds
me a little of the devil's interval (tritone) which i think they ended
the album with.

At the end of the day, Portal have made a solid
atmospheric death metal album with more clarity than the others, but
they just don't sound as weird as they used to. Evolution perhaps? Or a
side effect of popularity?

Highlights: Plasm, Awryeon, Orbmorphia, Oblotten (7 Tracks, 34:00)

8/10

Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance (2013)
- Don't be surprised that Darkthrone's new opus isn't a black metal
album. It isn't even remotely close. Apparently, their last albums have
been more punk laden; but this one sounds every bit like it was made
back in the 80's and could have been summoned by Fenriz from some
alternate dimension where it had already existed. You'll notice probably
the most "black metal" even though I'd liken it to Venom's brand and
nothing even a shard Norwegian, on the opener "Dead Early 4:49" but
that's where the similarities end. "Valkyrie 5:14" is pure power/thrash
in the style of early Blind Guardian, "Lesser Men 4:55" brings back the
blackened thrash of Venom, "The Ones You Left Behind 4:16" contains some
strong folk melodies and powerful choruses that mix Venom with
folk-metal bands like Heidevolk.

I take my previous comment
back. Upon listening to the album again, I'm noticing that "Come
Warfare, The Eternal Doom 8:37" which is the longest track on the album
might have the most similarity to the band's classic Norwegian black
metal material. Yet it also has a touch of Venom and Bathory if they
were a bit more scathing on the vocals. Fenriz doesn't use any shrieks
here, which is great in my opinion; as a grueling scowl can sound far
more depraved than a bunch of shrieking. But this album isn't just about
the vocal end of course; and that's where the analog equipment shines
with great melodies, deep seated chugs and pummeling thrash. The drums
are also preformed quite well on this album bringing the thunder when
needed and the backbone when required. This album actually hearkens to
the days before blasts, when a drummer had to do much more than just
pound the hell out of the kick pedals.

One might not know the
exact reasons why Darkthrone decided to go back as far as 80's metal,
but I'm sure that all those kvlt and true people are probably hissing
and scowling in disgust over this one, calling Darkthrone blasphemers to
the throne or whatever. But in all honesty, (and this might make some
people take a ritual athame and drive it deep into their hearts) most of
the tracks that follow the opener are all extremely powerful metal
tracks that sound as close to the glory days as humanly possible. These
are definite black thrashers and they're fucking great, fuck you if
you've got a problem with it.

The final track on the disc "Leave
No Cross Unturned 13:49" might even go so far as to being inspired by
bands like Helloween. Yeah, there's a definite "Ahhhh!" high pitch vocal
on here too, right at the beginning; so that you're aware it's of the
relic quality. Of course, some of you might wonder why in the hell
operatic vibrato is being used on this one and might scratch your heads.
However, with close to fourteen minutes of playtime, the band keeps it
interesting by adding some ghostly effects and the like to make things
somewhat atmospheric with the old methods. I'm not sure how much of this
was done on a computer, but I wouldn't imagine much. While there's
production here, it certainly sounds as muddy as those old albums did;
but you can discern all the vocals.

Hatebreed - The Divinity Of Purpose (2013)
- I didn't know what to expect from Hatebreed's new album, but with the
tagline "All pit, no shit" I wasn't left with a very good first
outlook. However, the album actually sounds like a reinvention of the
band and there are some definite strong tracks on this one. Opener "Put
It To The Torch 2:12" sounds brutal from the get-go, while "Own Your
World 3:39" thrashes just as well as it pays homage to hardcore. Songs
like "End The Fight, Before The Fight Ends You 3:18" might sound like
something you'll hear an MMA fighter blast in his headphones before
getting pummeled into a mess at the Octagon, but it's pretty damned
catchy.

"Dead Man Breathing 3:19" is probably my favorite song
on the disc, the start paying tribute to Slayer and the thunder that
makes up the main leads of this one had me banging my head from that
first riff. There's also a nice little solo on the track. The next song
that I'll highlight is going to be the album's title track, "The
Divinity Of Purpose 3:39" which definitely reminds me of some of the
band's very best material. Fans of both Perseverance and Supremacy
should definitely like this material. There are songs on here that are
just as good as classics "I Will Be Heard" and "This Is Now" which is
one of my favorite songs from the band, I used to play it quite a bit in
my teen years.

Though I've just highlighted some of my favorite
tracks, I would definitely recommend that all fans of Hatebreed,
hardcore and metal in general give this disc a shot. It's much better
than I would've expected and sounds like Hatebreed at their finest. The
riffs are strong and there's some powerful melodies being used here, the
drums pound with fury and there are some definite crossover moments
between hardcore and metal. A must for the year and certainly one of my
favorite discs for 2013. It's one hell of an enjoyable beating.

Highlights:
Put It To The Torch, Own Your World, Before The Fight Ends You, Dead
Man Breathing, The Divinity Of Purpose (12 Tracks, 37:00)